Commonly confused words
Affect / Effect
Affect (as a verb) means to change or influence something.
Example: The hot room affected my concentration in the exam.
Effect (as a noun) means the end result or outcome of something.
Example: The room temperature had a negative effect on my performance.
NB: Effect is sometimes used as a verb and means to cause or bring about.
Example: She tried to effect a change in her working environment.
Who's / Whose
Who's is the shortened form of who is.
Example: Who's teaching the computing course?
Whose can be used as a relative pronoun.
Example: This is the child whose drawings are famous.
Whose can also be used as an adjective that shows ownership.
Example: Whose drawings are these?
Practise / Practice
Practice is a noun (memory aid: ice is a noun*).
Example: She is doing her piano practice this afternoon.
Practise is a verb.
Example: She needs to practise drug calculations before she sits her final exam.
*NB: Similarly, advice is a noun (Example: She gave him some helpful advice.) and advise is a
verb (Example: She advised him to invest his money wisely.).
Off / Of
Example: Turn the lights off before you leave (NB: off has a soft 'f' sound).
Example: Take care of the dogs while I'm away (NB: of has a `v' sound).
The words should've, could've, would've are short for should have etc, NOT should of. The
apostrophes in these words are used to show that letters have been omitted (left out).
Commonly confused words
Loose / Lose
Loose is an adjective.
Example: The dog escaped because its collar was too loose.
(NB: loose has a soft 's' sound)
Lose is a verb.
Example: The All Blacks are unlikely to lose the match this Saturday.
(NB: In lose the 's' sounds like a 'z'.)
Choice / Choose
Choice is a noun.
Example: We had to wear a pink uniform. We had no choice.
(NB: choice has a soft 's' sound.)
Choose is a verb.
Example: We did not choose the colour of our uniform.
(NB: In choose the 's' sounds like a 'z'.)
Your / You're
You're is the shortened form of you are (the apostrophe shows that the 'a' has been omitted).
Example: You're going to have a lot of work to do this weekend.
Your is a possessive adjective.
Example: Put your bag in the cupboard.
There / Their / They’re
There = place or fact
Examples: Have you been there before?
There are many things to see and do.
Their = belonging to them
Example: Their names are Paul and Janet.
They’re is short for they are.
Example: They’re new students at Otago Polytechnic.
For a larger list of commonly confused words go HERE
Commonly confused words
Exercises
Complete the following sentences. (In some cases you will need to add -s or -ed.)
1.
The bad weather …………….. our skiing. (affect/effect)
2.
Stress has a negative ………… on my health. (affect/effect)
3.
Her decision will ………… a lot of people. (affect/effect)
4.
………. that woman in the red coat? (who's/whose)
5.
……….. socks are these? (who's/whose)
6.
Is he the one ………. going to the conference? (who's/whose)
7.
They are going to ……….. for the concert this evening. (practise/practice)
8.
She doesn't work in a hospital; she is in private ……….. (practise/practice)
9.
He needs to ………… more if he wants to become a better skier. (practise/practice)
10.
The bird fell …… its perch. (off/of)
11.
January is the beginning ……. (off/of) the year.
12.
Jackie is an important member …….. the management team. (off/of)
13.
There was no way that she could ……….. the competition. (loose/lose)
14.
The rope became ………… and the horse galloped away. (loose/lose)
15.
There will be a public outcry if our team ……….. the match tomorrow. (loose/lose)
16.
It was hard to ………… because everything on the menu looked fantastic. (choice/choose)
17.
We have two ……….. we can either stay here, or move to Christchurch. (choice/choose)
18.
After the interviews she had to …………. the most suitable applicant. (choice/choose)
19.
Are these ………. floppy discs? (you're/your)
20.
Remember to call ……….. friend over the next couple of days. (you're/your)
21.
………. likely to improve if you continue to practise. (you're/your)